ExcitEmEnt - The Formula 5000 Registry

Formula
E xcitement
A Formula Series for the Colonies
By Tony Adamowicz
Photography as credited
Pete Lyons photo
Classic Motorsports 62
W
hen it comes to formula cars, most of us are familiar
with the big ones: Formula Vee, Formula Ford, Formula
Junior and, of course, Formula 1. But what about the
truly American formula car series that married lightweight chassis
with big, thundering V8 engines? That was Formula 5000.
Not only were the Formula 5000 cars exciting, but so was the
racing. After all, the series attracted many of the day’s big names.
The champions list includes John Cannon, David Hobbs, Brian
Redman, Jody Scheckter and me, Tony Adamowicz.
What is Formula 5000? Let’s go back to the beginning, when
John Bishop, then director of the Sports Car Club of America,
witnessed the success of the Trans-Am and Can-Am series,
both of which used production stock-block American V8s.
It was John Bishop’s vision to produce a formula series that
would develop young aspiring drivers into professional single-
seat racers. He created a formula for 1968 that allowed the
small-block 302 V8s as well as the full-race 3.0-liter engines
to be inserted into 1400-pound chassis. The result was called
Formula A, and it initially ran as an SCCA amateur class.
Interestingly enough, with a few exceptions, the Europeans
had a head start on the early development of their single-seat
race cars. However, major American constructors such as
Bob McKee, Jerry Eisert, Red LeGrand and Dan Gurney’s
All American Racers quickly became very popular. The AAR
Eagle, for example, was a monocoque aircraft-influenced
design that followed the early AAR F1 machines.
The Europeans quickly retaliated, and chassis constructors
like Lola, Surtees, Cooper, McLaren and later McRae, March
and many others appeared on the scene. Despite the edict to
run American engines, the series had an international flavor.
A Mercedes-Benz cabriolet served pace
car duty for the 1970 Formula 5000 event at
Wisconsin’s Road America. This large field
was just one of three heats at the event.
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Pete Lovely (in the sunglasses) and his wife, Nevele, unloaded
a former Graham Hill Lotus 49 Formula 1 car at the Donnybrooke
F5000 race in 1969. Formula 5000 was not exclusively for 5-liter cars,
as this Lotus was propelled by a 3-liter powerplant. BOTTOM LEFT:
Engineer Carroll Smith (left) debriefed driver Tony Adamowicz after
a session at the 1969 Road America F5000 race. BELOW: Tony drove
an Eagle-Chevrolet in that race.
Pete Lyons photos
“
One of the rudest awakenings
was sent from the wide front
tires to the small steering wheel.
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Green Pea
The Formula A class structure evolved into a professional series by
1969, as SCCA launched Formula 5000—the name came from the
5000cc engine displacement limit. This 13-race series made its 1969
debut at Riverside on April 20. The top six finishers would share prize
money of $15,000-plus per race. Some teams and drivers would even
get additional appearance money to compete.
The first event attracted many unknown racers, including first-timers
like me who had never competed in an open-wheel racing car. However,
there were more experienced drivers on hand, including like John
Cannon, Lothar Motschenbacher, George Wintersteen, Sam Posey, Pete
Lovely, Canadian George Eaton, Bobby Brown, Chuck Dietrich, Jerry
Hansen, Bud Morley and others.
Overwhelmingly so, John Cannon was the most prepared driver for this
race. He was the fastest qualifier, and he simply ran away in his Eagle. I ran
second most of the race in the Milestone Racing Eagle, but I gave up my
position to Lothar Motschenbacher in his McLaren M10A. I had suffered
bruised ribs from an earlier testing incident, and every dip in the track elicited
extreme pain. Rather than do something stupid in my first race, I took a third.
Okay, now how did a “green pea” driver like me adapt to an openwheel race car? Well, not too kindly. The following story will explain
those injured ribs, too.
These open-wheel cars produced 465 to 500 horsepower and
were more than a handful to maintain on the track. Our first Eagle
completely lacked aero downforce, as it was
devoid of any front or rear wings. It was a
narrow-track car with a short wheelbase,
making it very nervous at speed. As a result, I
totaled it at Willow Springs Raceway during
early testing.
In Turn 6, the car was catapulted 30 feet
into the air before it plummeted downward,
landing within a stone’s throw of the pit
straight. The incident broke the right-front
suspension and front brake caliper assembly.
The Eagle’s monocoque was also wrinkled
from front to rear as it absorbed the energy of
the crash. I suffered badly bruised ribs and a
cut above my right eye.
I had definitely learned a lesson: I would
never drive the replacement Eagle without
any front or rear wings. After all, they were a
crucial factor in keeping these cars glued to the
track. I also had to learn how to drive the Eagle
smoothly if I wanted to survive.
Our Milestone Racing crew was about
as green I was—sure, they had plenty of
mechanical preparation experience, but not
with open-wheel racers. Don Breslauer and
master mechanic Roy Wade followed me from
the Group 44 Inc. racing team that gave me a
professional start in racing.
After that wreck, I also made the decision
to give up my open-faced helmet. I became
one of the first drivers to wear one of Bell’s
full-faced models. It would have protected
me in the crash at Willow Springs. It would
also shield my eyes from debris kicked up by
other cars.
When it was time for me to be fitted to the
new car, I found out that I could not get into
the cockpit by myself. Thanks to my bruised
ribs, I had to be helped inside. During my
practice laps—my first time ever on track at
Riverside—every small impact from the rough
surface was transmitted to my injured ribs.
Closed Helmet, Open Eyes
One of the rudest awakenings was sent
from the wide front tires to the small steering
wheel. The wheel wanted to whip itself out of
my hands.
The brakes were also not there at the end
of the straightaway. The flex of the front
spindles knocked the pads back into the
caliper. I had to pump the brakes at the end
of the straights to have a positive brake pedal.
It was unbelievable that a real racing car had
these characteristics.
Even though I was new to open-wheel
racing, I made an assessment that more could
be done to improve these issues. One of the
first things we added to the Eagle was a Koni
steering rack shock absorber lifted from a
Porsche 911. This helped considerably, as it
absorbed the bulk of the nasty feedback sent
into the steering wheel.
The brake pedal issue was not resolved
until we had AAR make up a Y pedal. This
component allowed me to use my left foot
to pump the brake pedal just before reaching
the end of a straight. I eventually realized that
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there was a competitive edge to left-foot braking techniques, as
I could modulate the brake pedal into turns.
I was the only left-foot braker in the series—at the time, it
was a relatively unknown technique in road racing. I would
continue to use this strategy throughout my racing career.
By race three, Milestone Racing owner Marvin Davidson
had made an arrangement to hire Carroll Smith, team manger
for Shelby Racing. Smith was a racer himself in his early days
as well as a Navy-inducted engineer. He was the team manager
when Ford won at Le Mans in ’67.
Without his guidance and team management, I never
would have won the series. Smith was my mentor and
urged me on even when I was unsure of my abilities at new,
challenging circuits. He was also good friends with Peter
Revson, and he held that over me: If I couldn’t get the job
done, he could get Revvie to take the seat. I must say, Carroll
Smith was a great motivator.
Lightning Strikes
What made this series attractive for the fans was the
thundering sound of American V8 engines. Some ran
Weber carburetion, while others made do with Lucas, Hilborn, Kinsler and other fuelinjection systems.
Chevrolet was overwhelmingly the most popular supplier thanks to the compactness and high
power output of their engine. Later, Ford, Plymouth and AMC appeared. Most all of the exhaust
headers were exposed, sweeping up and back under the rear wings.
Rear wings on a single-seat race car? Well, that was exciting to watch. These cars featured
a high, upside-down rear wing that sent downforce to the rear suspension uprights. This was
something never seen before in North America. The front nose had chassis-mounted winglets or
dive planes to balance out the downforce.
The constructors found that this series started to pay larger purse prize money. This
generated the need to be a part of the series and provide their chassis to buyers wanting
to participate.
Pete Lyons photos
Classic Motorsports 66
ABOVE: Lou Sell’s Smothers Bros. Eagle Mk.
5 was propelled by Chevrolet power at the
October 1968 Laguna Seca race. BELOW: Sell
(No. 15) went on to win at Laguna, followed
by George Wintersteen (No. 12) in a similar
Eagle Mk. 5. Sell won $2100 for the victory.
BELOW: Mechanical failures are inevitable in any racing series. At the 1969
season finale at Sebring, Tony Adamowicz had to abandon his racer on the front
straight due to a blown engine. BOTTOM: Formula 5000 was a breeding ground
for big-name talent. Mario Andretti campaigned a Lotus-Ford at Sebring in 1969,
where he qualified second but finished 21st after an engine failure.
Pete Lyons photos
Final Race, New Engine
By the last race of the 1969 season, Carroll Smith was in touch with
Ford Motor Company and Carroll Shelby. They had agreed to outfit the
Eagle with a Ford engine. All modifications were accomplished at the
Shelby race shop in Torrance, California.
We completely went over the car and modified all the weak points
in its suspension, brakes, cooling, exhaust and aero downforce. The
Ford 302 was producing more than 500 horsepower and was fitted with
a custom Bosch fuel injection by Falconer Dunn Engineering.
I was extremely happy with our test session at Riverside International
Raceway just before the Sebring final race. I went into the event as a
series points leader, and it appeared that the season would come down
to a duel between Sam Posey and me.
I was amazed at how developed the series had become when I arrived
at Sebring. All the latest chassis were there with a laundry list of majorname drivers: Mario Andretti in a new Lotus 70 Ford, Mark Donohue
in the new Lola T190, David Hobbs in the new Surtees TS5, Gus
Hutchinson in the new Brabham BT26 Cosworth, John Cannon in
the new McLaren, Trevor Taylor in the new works Surtees TS5, Sam
Posey in a new McLaren, and Swede Savage—the fastest qualifier—in a
Plymouth-powered Eagle.
The race produced many surprises: Posey crashed out early, and
both Mario and I had our Fords expire. David Hobbs was the ultimate
race winner, and I became the Continental series champion, winning
by one point.
Ford would not commit to a engine program, so the Eagle was retired
after a well-fought season. When asked how I won a professional drivers’
championship on my very first outing in an open-wheel car, I simply
say, “Through skill and daring techniques.”
Despite my championship win, the 1970 season left me without a
ride or sponsorship for Formula 5000. However, I was asked to drive
the new Lola T192 for Roy Woods Racing at the 1971 Questor Grand
Prix. This was a one-time face-off between the Formula 5000 cars and
Formula 1 cars. It was an interesting experiment, with Mark Donohue’s
Lola leading Mario Andretti in the F1 Ferrari; Donohue retired while in
the lead and handed the win to Mario.
(continued on page 70)
Classic Motorsports 67
Peter Brock photo
Tough Times
The series continued, and I was again asked to drive the new Lola T330 for Roy Woods
Racing. This was a challenging series for me. I set a track record at Laguna Seca, but a slower car
bumped me into the guard rail soon after. The car was destroyed, and I broke the blood-carrying
bone in my left wrist. I nearly lost my ride when I was grounded for a year by Dr. Jobe, then team
doctor for the L.A. Lakers.
I convinced them to cast the wrist, saying I would have the crew cover the plaster cast with
fiberglass. My convincing salesmanship worked, and I spent the rest of the season driving
with one hand.
By then the series had introduced even more competitors, some new, some old—familiar
names like Hobbs, Lunger, Donohue, and Scheckter, who ultimately became World Champion
in a Ferrari F1 car. I was able to share the front row with Scheckter at Mid-Ohio. I often wonder
how things would have turned out if I could have used two hands to drive.
The energy crunch came about in 1974, and again I was without a ride. Many top drivers
found themselves without sponsorship to race. F5000 continued with new drivers and newly
constructed cars. Gone were the tall suspension wings, though the F5000 cars were heavily
influenced by the current F1 designs; this was becoming state of the art for open-wheel racers.
SCCA management of the series and economic times seemed to take their toll on this fine
North American formula for open-wheel racing, and an exciting chapter in motorsports
history came to a close in 1976.
Tony Adamowicz has driven just about everything, everywhere, from his first race car—a Volvo
PV544—to Ferraris at Daytona and Le Mans. His colorful biography can be found at a2zracer.com.
ABOVE: John Morton raced with Brock Racing
Enterprises in Formula 5000 during the 1972 season,
and F5000 Cars were evolving to look more like
their F1 counterparts. At Road Atlanta in August,
Morton’s Ford-powered Lotus 70B placed fourth in
the aggregate results from two races. BELOW: Many
Formula 5000 race cars were reborn with closed
bodywork as Can-Am single-seat entries.
Single-Seat Can-Am: Formula 5000’s Legacy
While the U.S. Formula 5000 series came to a close at the end of 1976, the cars weren’t necessarily retired. The
SCCA revived their Can-Am name for 1977, and the new rules welcomed Formula 5000 cars—provided they wore
sports racer bodywork that enveloped all four wheels.
The single-seat Cam-Am series took a few years to really catch on, but the late ’70s and early ’80s saw some great
competition. Series champions included Jacky Ickx (1979), Geoff Brabham (1981) and Al Unser Jr. (1982). Several
teams defected for IMSA and CART as the ’80s got rolling, however, and Can-Am eventually petered out. The SCCA
pulled the plug in 1986.
Clark McInnis photo
Classic Motorsports 68
laprecord.com/S. Knoll photo
OPEN-WHEEL REVIVAL
What’s Formula 5000 racing doing today?
Well, it’s once again alive in vintage racing.
Seb Coppola introduced the Formula 5000
Registry in 2008. (Visit the Web site at
f5000registry.com for more information.)
The return of these fine race cars also
marked my 40th reunion of diving into openwheel racing. Doug Magnon of the Riverside
International Automotive Museum is the
current owner of my 1969 Gurney Eagle,
chassis No. 510, and master mechanic
Bill Losee has restored this championshipwinning chassis to race condition.
By 2009, after contributing a great deal of
hard work and extreme effort, the RIAM had
produced a competitive chassis for me to
drive—40 years after my first run in the same
car. This is a feat that I’m told no one else has
accomplished in racing.
Have you decided to invest in a vintage
F5000 car? My advice would be to find an
example with some history as a first choice. The
most popular chassis is the proven Lola T332,
probably the most proficient of all the F5000
cars and readily available for purchase.
Parts, too, are easy to obtain, something
that’s imperative for bringing the car back
to racing shape. The most important part of
making the F5000 car safe to drive, of course,
is a proficient mechanic. Want to see them
live? Their 2010 season starts at Road Atlanta
as part of the Classic Motorsports Mitty.
On a side note, during the development
of the Riverside International Automotive
Museum Gurney Eagle, we employed the
assistance of my friend Peter Bryant. He’s
the designer of the Ti22 titanium and Shadow
Can-Am cars. Bryant’s award-winning book,
“Can-Am Challenger,” is an interesting
and humorous recap of his racing career. I
recommend it.
Peter was able to work closely with our
master mechanic Bill Losee and RIAM UK
transplant fabricator Morris Jephcott. Peter’s
expertise allowed him to uncover issues with
the car that extended back to 1969. These
were corrected, and the Eagle became very
safe and competitive for its class in vintage
racing. Forty years after the car’s debut, we
were able to pilot it to a number of race wins.
(Learn more at riversideinternationalraceway.com)
Formula 5000 Drivers Association Schedule
April 29-May 2: Road Atlanta (CMS Mitty)
June 10-13: Watkins Glen
July 15-18: Road America
Sept. 3-6: Portland Raceway
Oct. 1-3: Infineon Raceway
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